Manatee schools consider ending early release days

With more demands on teachers to prepare and meet together, many Florida school districts have adopted early release days to give educators that time together.

Hillsborough uses Mondays. Pinellas does it on Wednesdays. So, too, does Manatee.

But maybe not for much longer.

The Herald-Tribune reports that the Manatee School Board, inundated with complaints about about the effort, is considering whether to return to five full days of instruction. Board members note that a change could help parents while adding to student learning time, but also realize that time for teacher training and planning still must be provided.

"We do need to have well-trained teachers," Manatee County School Board member Bob Gause told the Herald-Tribune. "There is going to have to be some time built in somewhere to have them attend training."

The Manatee board is set to vote in early June on the matter. What do you think they should do? How is your life affected by early release days? Should Pinellas and Hillsborough follow Manatee's lead?

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.